Even with all the news coverage of the disaster in Japan, it can be easy to forget about the suffering going on half a world away. We're bogged down in our daily grinds and have to worry about our own severe weather warnings.

But students and faculty at Nova Southeastern University have been working closely with the consulate general of Japan in Miami to coordinate relief efforts for the battered country. Tonight, NSU will hold a candlelight vigil from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gold Circle Lake, behind the Alvin Sherman Library.

Students, faculty, and staff will share poems and songs and hear stories from Japanese students who were affected by the earthquake, according to an NSU newsletter. Donations will be collected at the vigil and sent to the relief fund at the Japanese Consulate.

Nova has also set up a website where you can donate money online. In the drop-down menu of the "Gift Area" section, select "Japan Earthquake Relief Fund."

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan and their country," said Ray Ferrero Jr., chancellor of Nova Southeastern University. "I'm particularly proud of the global perspective of our students and their call to action."